Savin Me
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne's life is saved by a mysterious stranger... who may not be so mysterious. Based on the song of the same name by the group Nickelback
1. Chapter 1

**Wednesday Morning**

I'm off to the market, Dr. Crane. Is there anything special you'd like me to pick up? Besides the items on this list in me hand?"  
>"I think that pretty well covers it, Daphne." Frasier said. "Oh wait... Could you pick up a box of those water crackers that Niles and I like so much? They'll be a perfect companion to the Merlot that I bought for our wine club dinner party Friday night."<br>Daphne wrote Frasier's request on the shopping list. "Certainly, Dr. Crane. I say, you Americans eat the craziest things. What in the world are _water crackers_?"  
>Frasier smiled. "Aisle seven, second shelf from the bottom, blue box."<p>

"_Blue box, aisle seven_. Got it." Daphne said, putting pen to paper. "But I still have _no idea_ what _water crackers_ are!"

"Oh geez, it's just a fancy way of saying "tastes like cardboard!" Martin said as he hobbled into the living room. "Give me some Ritz crackers and a six pack of Ballantine and I'll be perfectly happy. And that reminds me; I'm almost out. Can you pick up some for me?"  
>Momentarily confused, Daphne blinked. "Some what, Mr. Crane?"<br>"Ballantine of course! And some Ritz crackers."  
>Daphne scribbled on the shopping list. "All right. <em>Ballantine, Ritz.<em> Well, I'm off!"

"Goodbye, Daphne." Frasier called as she closed the door behind her.

In the elevator, she took another glance at the list in her hand. What in the world would Dr. Crane want with all of this fancy food; most of which she'd never heard of?

Back in Manchester, dinner parties consisted of little more than tea and light sandwiches.

But as she knew all too well, Seattle was nothing like her hometown of Manchester and for that she was extremely grateful.

With a sigh, she stepped onto the sidewalk and headed for the market. Even if she had no idea what half of the items on the grocery list were, she was determined to make sure that Dr. Crane's dinner party was a huge success. 


	2. Chapter 2

The streets were unusually busy as people made their way past her, en route to wherever it was they were going.

Daphne couldn't help but notice how many changes had been taking place in the city. At every turn, she could see construction workers working hard to build everything from stores to skyscrapers.

When she reached the corner of Queen Anne Avenue, she could see the enormous gourmet grocery store in the distance.

Nervously she took one last glance at the list from Dr. Crane. She had to make sure she got everything he'd asked for. He'd done so much for her; this was her chance to do something nice for him. Perhaps she'd pick up a few extra items to make his dinner party even more special.

"_Ballantine, Ritz, water crackers, blue box, aisle seven..."_ she recited to herself as the crosswalk light indicated it was safe to cross.

She'd no sooner stepped off the curb when she heard scream and cries from passersby;

"_Watch out!"_

"_Oh my God"_

"_Get out of the way!"_

Almost immediately, a strong arm wrapped around her from behind and pulled her backwards onto the sidewalk. Seconds later, she watched in horror as an enormous piece of metal fell from above and landed with a crash onto the crosswalk, just inches from where she was standing.

The deafening sound of metal hitting the street vibrated in her ears, prompting screams and gasps of horror among the massive crowd of people that had gathered around her.

Badly shaken and temporarily disoriented, she turned to find herself staring at a sea of faces, oblivious to the questions that were being hurled at her from every direction;

"_You could have been killed!"_

"_That was incredible!"_

"_Are you hurt, Miss?"  
>"Are you okay?"<br>"That man saved your life!"  
>"You have a guardian angel!"<em>

As the crowd began to dissipate, she searched for any sign of whoever might have pulled her to safety, but the mysterious man was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, the realization of what had happened hit her and she sank to her knees on the sidewalk.

_Oh my God..._

Overcome with emotion, Daphne began to cry.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Meanwhile at Elliot Bay Towers)**

"What's taking Daphne so long to get back here?" Martin grumbled from his chair as he watched another Seattle Mariner strike out at home plate. "I need a beer!"

"Dad, we have a refrigerator full of beers!" Frasier pointed out. "I hardly think you'll be running out anytime soon!

Martin scoffed. "At this rate, I'll be out of Ballantine's before the game is over!"  
>Frasier glanced at the television and rolled his eyes. "From the looks of things, I'd say the game is over already."<br>Martin glared at his son in disbelief. "What are you talking about, Fras? It's only the fourth inning!"

When Frasier nodded toward the screen, his father's expression softened. "Oh... right. Well, I'm sure they'll catch up."

"Dad, that's impossible! They're losing by thirteen runs!"

"Okay, Mr. Smart Guy! When Daphne gets back we'll ask her what she thinks!" Martin snapped.

Frasier glanced at his watch in concern. "Speaking of Daphne, she should have been home by now. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. I hope nothing's happened."  
>"As long as she has my beer and crackers!" Martin said.<br>"Honestly, Dad! Is that all you think about? Don't you have any concern as to where Daphne-."

At that moment the door opened and the two men looked up to find Daphne standing in the doorway; her face streaked with tears.

"Daphne, thank God." Frasier said, rushing toward her.

"What happened?" Martin asked. "Where are the groceries?"  
>Frasier shot his father a look as Daphne held out her arms and began to cry.<br>"Oh, Dr. Crane!"

"Daphne, you're trembling!" Frasier said when she clung to him. "Dear God, what's happened?"

"I was so scared, Dr. Crane!" Daphne cried into his chest.

Frasier held her tightly, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her. "There, there Daphne, you're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you."

"I'm so sorry about the groceries!" Daphne said in between sobs.

"There's no reason to be sorry. Now try to relax, okay? You'll be safe here. This is your home." Frasier said as soothingly as possible.

"What in the hell happened?" Martin asked. "You were just going to the store for some-."  
>"Dad, don't worry, you'll get your beer!" Frasier yelled.<br>"I don't give a _damn_ about the beer! Can't you see I'm worried about Daphne?" Martin asked.

Daphne pulled out of Frasier's arms and went to hug Martin. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Crane!"

"It's okay, Daphne. You're home now." Martin said, hesitantly patting her back as she held onto him, crying into his flannel shirt.

"I'll make you some tea." Frasier said. "Just have a seat on the sofa."  
>"Fras, are you crazy?" Martin yelled.<p>

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

At his son's confused glance, Martin smiled at Daphne. "Sit in my chair. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable than that sofa."  
>Daphne blinked in surprise. "Thank you, Mr. Crane."<p>

"Well, go ahead." He prompted, pointing to the well-worn chair.

Dutifully she sat down as Frasier handed her a cup of hot tea.  
>"Daphne, is there anything we can do for you?"<p>

"You've done more than enough, Dr. Crane. I can't thank you en-." When her voice broke, Frasier looked worriedly at his father.

"What should we do?" Martin asked. "Think she'll be okay?"  
>"I wish I knew what caused this. It seems she's had a rather frightening experience." Frasier said. "She should probably rest for a while."<p>

Immediately, Daphne shook her head in protest. "Oh no, Dr. Crane! Your dinner party! I've got to get to the market!"

When she attempted to get out of Martin's chair, Frasier put his hand on her shoulder. "Absolutely not, Daphne. The groceries aren't important anymore."

"But what about your water crackers?"

Frasier smiled and took her hand. "The only thing that I'm concerned with right now is you. Now why don't you go get some rest?"

"But Dr. Crane..."  
>"Doctor's orders." Frasier said, squeezing her hand. "You've had a traumatic experience. If you want to talk about it, I'm listening."<p>

But Daphne didn't even smile at the familiar catch phrase. Instead she hugged him tightly, brushing a tear from her cheek.  
>"Goodnight Dr. Crane; Mr. Crane."<p>

"Goodnight, Daphne." Martin said when she hugged him as well.

When she disappeared into the hallway, Martin and Frasier exchanged worried glances. She'd been through a terrible ordeal and they had no idea how to help her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wednesday Night**

"No...No... Please..."  
>"Fras, can you please stop listening to that damn opera? I can't hear my TV program!" Martin snapped.<p>

Frasier looked up from his book. "Dad, I'm not listening to anything. I'm just sitting here reading this fascinating book on psychosis. An opera would hardly be a very good companion for this sub-."  
>"NO!"<p>

At the unmistakable scream, Frasier and Martin ran into the hallway.  
>"Daphne!"<p>

As soon as they entered her room, she held out her arms and began to cry. "Oh, Dear God, she's trembling even worse than before." Frasier said.

"Daphne, please tell us what happened." Martin said.

"I-I can't." Daphne sobbed. "Oh God... I hate this!"

Frasier sat down on the bed and took her hand. "This won't go away unless you talk about it. I know it's hard, but just... take your time."

"O-okay." Daphne said. "I was on me way to the market and just as I started to cross the street, a huge piece of metal fell from the sky and landed right in front of me face!"  
>"Dear God!" Frasier yelled. "How did you get away?"<p>

"Well, I didn't. Seconds before it fell, someone grabbed me from behind-." Daphne said.

"Who was it?" Martin demanded. "Did he hurt you? Because if he did, I'll kill him with my own two hands!"

Touched by Martins' concern for her, Daphne squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Crane. I love you, too."

"Did he hurt you?" Frasier asked, echoing his father's words.

Daphne shook her head. "No... Actually if he hadn't grabbed me, I probably wouldn't be here now. He pulled me back onto the sidewalk right before the metal crashed in front of me eyes."  
>"You could have been killed." Frasier said. "No wonder you've been so upset."<p>

"I-I couldn't believe it." Daphne said. "And it happened right across the street from the market!"  
>"Dear God." Frasier said again." This man saved your life. You must let me repay him somehow."<br>"I-I can't."

At his surprised look she smiled. "I-I mean... I didn't see his face. He just vanished into thin air! When I realized what had happened, a bunch of people had crowded around me, askin' all sorts of bloody questions that I couldn't very well answer. Talkin' nonsense about guardian angels! I mean, can you imagine?"

Frasier smiled. "I think maybe it was a guardian angel."  
>"Dr. Crane, you can't be serious!" Daphne said. "There's no such thing!"<p>

"Well whoever it was, we're eternally grateful to them." Frasier said. "He made a decision that spared your life. And I'm going to do everything I can to find him. He needs to know how much we appreciate what he's done."

"There's no way to repay someone for doin' somethin' like that." Daphne said. "Sayin' _thank you_ just isn't enough."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thursday Morning**

"Hello, All!" Niles said when the door was opened. "Frasier, I'm so excited about this dinner party tomorrow night! Those water crackers will go wonderfully with the cheese plate that I ordered from the Blue Heron Creamery."

"Actually, Niles. I've wanted to talk to you about that." Frasier said.

"You know what? You're absolutely right, Frasier. I've been selfishly taking over the planning. This is your party too, and I wouldn't dream of forgoing your expertise and-."

"Niles, please!" Frasier interrupted.

At his little brother's surprised look, Frasier sighed. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel our party. Something's happened, and-"

Niles' jaw dropped. "_Cancel_? But we _can't_! Do you know how hard we've worked-"

He stopped suddenly and looked up at the beautiful sight that entered the living room.

"Good morning Dr. Crane."

"Daphne!"

"Hello..." She said shyly.

"Daphne, thank God..." Niles crossed the room and went to her, taking her face in his hands. "I was so worried! I thought you were..."

"Dr. Crane that's very sweet that you were worried about me, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. I'm perfectly fine." Daphne said, ignoring Frasier's glance.

But Niles gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.  
>"Niles! What in the hell are you doing?" Frasier demanded.<p>

"Are you okay, Daphne?" Niles asked.

"I-I think so, but why..."

He continued to stare into her eyes, and then brushed the hair from her face.

"I-I know about what happened and I'm so sorry, Daphne."

"Well that was nice of your brother to fill you in, but-."

"Actually, I haven't told him anything." Frasier said.

Daphne blinked in surprise and moved her gaze from Frasier to Niles. "Then how-."

"Because I was there." Niles said.

"Dr. Crane how could you possibly have been there? I mean there were so many people and-."

She gasped and put her hand over her trembling mouth. "Oh my God... It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I'm the one who pulled you to safety. But Daphne, I couldn't bear to let you go. Because... you see... I love you."

When she turned away and began to cry, he looked helplessly at his father and brother.

"I'm so sorry, Daphne. I knew it was wrong to come over like this. I've embarrassed you and you deserve better than me. I'll just be going now. Goodbye Dad; Frasier."

She watched as he turned and walked out the door; a sad expression on his face.

"Niles, wait!" Martin said as he and Frasier watched in surprise.

After a long silence, they looked at each other. "Can you believe that?" Martin asked.

"I knew he loved Daphne, but I never dreamed he loved her this much." Frasier said.

"Wait a minute... You _knew_ about this? How could you not have told me?" Daphne demanded.

"Daphne, I had no idea about what happened on the way to the store. But Niles was very clear about his feelings for you. He's tried to tell you so many times and I'm afraid I wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea. And I admit I was wrong about that."

Just then the door opened and they looked up to see Niles standing before them.

"You know what, Dad? I think we should go check out that broken light in your bedroom." Frasier said.

"Oh right. Yeah that's really been bothering me." Martin said, following Frasier into the hallway.

When they were alone, Daphne looked at Niles through tear-filled eyes.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry, I had no right to come barging in here and-."

Daphne ran toward him and threw her arms around him; sobbing. "Oh my God..."

"I-I'm so sorry, I just-."

Daphne raised her head and touched his face. "I can't believe you saved me life. You're me guardian angel."

"Well I simply couldn't -."

His words were stopped by Daphne's lips on his; kissing him over and over.

When they parted, they stared at each other.

"Daphne..."

"I love you, Dr. Crane."

He stared at her in shock. "What?"

"If there was ever any doubt that I loved you, I know in me heart that this is real. You saved me life, and there's no way I could ever repay you. But I plan to spend the rest of me life tryin. If you'll have me that is." Daphne said tearfully, running her hand through his blonde hair.

Niles brushed the tears from her cheeks and kissed her tenderly.

"Of course I'll have you. I love you too, Daphne. And I'd save your life a million times over. But can you do me one favor?"

Daphne laughed. "You're askin _m_e for a favor? After what you did for me? I'll do anything for you; anything at all. Just name it."

Niles touched his forehead to hers. "Call me _Nile_s?"

"I love you... Niles..." Daphne sighed, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

As they kissed again and again, they were blissfully unaware of Eddie, who was sitting in Martin's chair, watching them contentedly.

**THE END**

_**A/N: I got the idea for this story from watching the video for the song "Savin Me" by the group Nickelback. The video is on Youtube and it's definitely worth watching-especially the ending, which is what inspired me to write this story! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_


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